Monday, 5 March 2018

TOXIC FRIENDSHIPS

“No more toxic friendships, no more toxic relationships, only toxic by Britney Spears”

We have all had that one friend or group of friends who are toxic. The friendship is one-sided, you are making all the effort and you are always the one chasing them for a catch-up. You want to drop them, but you have an overwhelming feeling of guilt as you have been “friends for years” and the thought of not having them in your life is quite upsetting despite knowing the friendship is toxic.

If a friendship becomes one-sided, drop it. There is no reason why you should keep a friendship going if you are the only one trying. Effort works both ways. No more one-sided friendships in 2018. If they are not putting in the effort, then neither should you.

When you start to let them treat you badly, make sly comments, put you down and you excuse their behaviour, it is time to let them go. I am guilty of keeping friends who have treated me like this. It's not you, it's them. No matter how badly their day is going or what they are going through in their personal life, there is no reason for someone to treat you any less than you deserve to be treated. Know your worth.

You feel drained being around them. At this point, it is time to create a distance and breathe. Being around people who are draining can be detrimental to your mental health. Reclaim your happiness and surround yourself with people who bring nothing but positive energy.

The older I get the more increasingly difficult it is becoming to make new friends. I have learnt that the quality of the friends that you have is more important than the number of friends that you have. Surround yourself with people who uplift and empower you and who you can rely on.